pic2graph(1)

NAME

   pic2graph - convert a PIC diagram into a cropped image

SYNOPSIS

   pic2graph [ -unsafe ] [ -format fmt ] [ -eqn delim ]

DESCRIPTION

   Reads  a  PIC  program  as input; produces an image file (by default in
   Portable Network Graphics format) suitable for the Web as output.  Also
   translates  eqn(1)  constructs, so it can be used for generating images
   of mathematical formulae.

   PIC is a rather expressive graphics minilanguage suitable for producing
   box-and-arrow  diagrams of the kind frequently used in technical papers
   and textbooks.  The language  is  sufficiently  flexible  to  be  quite
   useful  for  state  charts,  Petri-net  diagrams,  flow  charts, simple
   circuit schematics, jumper layouts, and  other  kinds  of  illustration
   involving  repetitive  uses  of  simple  geometric  forms  and splines.
   Because PIC descriptions are procedural and object-based, they are both
   compact and easy to modify.

   The PIC language is fully documented in Making Pictures With GNU PIC, a
   document which is part of the groff(1) distribution.

   Your input PIC code should not be wrapped with the .PS and  .PE  macros
   that normally guard it within groff(1) macros.

   The  output image will be clipped to the smallest possible bounding box
   that contains all the black pixels.  Older versions of convert(1)  will
   produce  a  black-on-white  graphic; newer ones may produce a black-on-
   transparent graphic.  By specifying command-line options to  be  passed
   to   convert(1)  you  can  give  it  a  border,  force  the  background
   transparent, set the image's pixel density,  or  perform  other  useful
   transformations.

   This  program uses pic(1), eqn(1), groff(1), gs(1), and the ImageMagick
   convert(1) program.  These programs must be installed  on  your  system
   and accessible on your $PATH for pic2graph to work.

OPTIONS

   -unsafe
          Run  pic(1)  and  groff(1) in the 'unsafe' mode enabling the PIC
          macro sh to execute  arbitrary  commands.   The  default  is  to
          forbid this.

   -format fmt
          Specify  an  output format; the default is PNG (Portable Network
          Graphics).  Any format that convert(1) can emit is supported.

   -eqn delim
          Change the fencepost characters that delimit  eqn(1)  directives
          ($ and $, by default).  This option requires an argument, but an
          empty string is  accepted  as  a  directive  to  disable  eqn(1)
          processing.

   Command-line  switches  and  arguments  not  listed above are passed to
   convert(1).

FILES

   /usr/share/groff/1.22.3/tmac/eqnrc  The eqn(1) initialization file.

ENVIRONMENT

   GROFF_TMPDIR
          The directory in which temporary files will be created.  If this
          is  not set pic2graph searches the environment variables TMPDIR,
          TMP, and TEMP (in that order).  Otherwise, temporary files  will
          be created in /tmp.

BUGS

   Due  to changes in the behavior of ImageMagick convert(1) that are both
   forward and backward-incompatible, mismatches  between  your  pic2graph
   and  convert(1)  versions  may  produce  zero-sized or untrimmed output
   images.  For this version of pic2graph  you  will  need  a  version  of
   convert(1)  that supports the -trim option; older versions of pic2graph
   used -crop 0x0, which no longer has trimming behavior.

SEE ALSO

   eqn2graph(1),   grap2graph(1),   pic(1),   eqn(1),   groff(1),   gs(1),
   convert(1).

COPYING

   This documentation is released to the public domain.

AUTHORS

   esr@thyrsus.com  Eric  S. Raymond , based on a recipe by W. Richard
   Stevens.

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Free and Open Source Software